You get it by failing a campaign 10 times
More specifically itās from failing a Showdown 10 times.
When IO released Freelancer, players liked New York for its easy Merces from the vault (and the legendary weapons you could bring back to the Safehouse) so every search Iāve found on the topic either references the release or the complaints when the vaultās contents were ānerfedā.
I am trying to find information on how it works now, as of July 2024, and hope one of you can help me.
- Does extracting the data core give you Merces when you escape?
- Or, is the data core worthless now (post-update) and the only Merces in the vault are the Merces coins laid on the display stands?
- Can the data core be fully removed from its housing if alarm is triggered?
I have failed the laser puzzle all three times (second time, game crashed after I had perfect run, found a DAX covert and a sawn-off Bartoli inside in-map stashes and was at the supplier when, micro stutterā¦ crash!) that I have had New York as a territory so I do not know if the data core is irretrievable due to the alarm raised, or if it is due to the update.
(With alarm triggered, I am able to partly pull out the data core from its housing, but cannot fully pull it out, unlike in story mode)
Thanks in advance.
Edited to refer to the item as ādata coreā instead of āserverā.
crap, i might as well have done that when I intentionally walked out of 20 missions to make that cold feet challenge.
in Freelancer when it first started, you could get into vault.
now no. that second swipe is no longer available thus the lasers remain
In freelancer, you canāt carry the data core around like in the main mission, so you donāt need to fully remove it and escape with it. You get Merces as soon as you partly yank it out of its housing, they just nerfed the amount you get. And you can still get Merces from the data core if you trigger the alarm, they just removed the button that turns the lasers off.
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Honestly the nerfs werenāt that bad and you can still make bank (pun intended) while playing NY.
These are the only things that were changed:
-
Itās kinda harder to get into the guard outpost and disable the cameras since the doors are locked and the recorder was moved (but thereās still a crowbar and some chloroform nearby so itās still very easy overall).
-
Itās not possible to disable the lasers anymore. Whatever, just trigger the alarm and come back later to grab the money.
-
Two merces coins were removed from the vault (you can still get one and the data core), but were simply moved to the lockers instead (conveniently one of the guards has a key to open them all, which you can do while the alarm is going on).
-
Two rare daggers were removed from the lockers (you can still get the burial dagger for free in Sgail though).
So aside from losing the free daggers, thereās not much that was nerfed merces-wise and people were just needlessly complaining without trying to adapt their strategy.
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You can easily grab the money after setting off the lasers and flee the vault providing youāre allowed to be in the area outside the vault. The only thing you need the alarm to be off for is the golden shotgun easter egg, which is a matter of waiting, once you set it off.
Two lockers in the deposit box area previously contained a Burial Dagger (Epic) and Antique Curved Knife (Legendary) - two of the coins previously in the vault were moved to their locations.
The Burial Dagger can still be obtained from a warehouse crate on Sgail, but the Antique Curved Knife is purchase-only as a result of its removal.
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Thank you, ZeroGravitas; this was the precise answer I sought regarding the data core and why it is only possible to pull out of its house partially in Freelancer, and that you do get Merces for that actionā¦ lasers evaded or failed.
I always was too focused on attempting to fully extract the data core from its housing to watch the Merces counter in upper right-hand of UI.
Best regards.
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Thank you, Melusca (and Olipro); I found the Merces in the deposit boxes and on the display inside the vault so thatās why I only was searching for current information regarding the data core and if raising the alarm (via failing to evade the lasers) had any effect on Merces from the data core.
Iāve only been caught once inside the vault; I waited for them then shot (and killed) the two blue uniform guards (I had already subdued and stashed all other guards before attempting the lasers).
The other two times, I have run into the vault, triggered the lasers intentionally (tried an experiment first: throw large objects into the lasers to trigger themā¦ nothing did; only when I moved 47 into the lasers did the alarm ring) then moved back to the security pillar in the hallway and waited (additional guards since territory was a showdown and several lookouts were guards in Level -1 of the map). Interestingly although I was in a blue security uniform, which is disallowed in the vault area, the guards ran past 47 to the garage, escorting their suspect VIP (I had already killed the leader) as the āescortā logic superceded their suspicion of blue uniform 47.
Best regards.
PS: I did not know that you could get the golden sawn-off shotgun via the easter egg in Freelancer; I thought that was restricted to story mode (Iāve seen people talk about the scarecrow in Colorado for the Freelancer challenge ākill target via fireā). If all easter eggs work in Freelancer mode, then I may have to try for the Noir suit in Freelancer next time I get a New York, especially if one of the complications / objectives is suit-only.
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You might have been thinking the alarm affected it because IOI later altered the random distribution of the vault merces so that it averages you on the lower side of the payout min/max.
Given that the Gold Idol is usually replaced with a Merces coin, Iām actually curious to see if the easter egg key still spawns it - though with that said, given that you can occasionally find the Gold Idol in loot crates, maybe you can use that as a workaround.
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Iāll report when I have another New York.
My current syndicate I chose for the purpose of a syndicate and destinations that Iāve not yet played.
I have another question for the hitmanforum folks:
if you do not have an attachƩ case on Mumbai or Mendoza, any recommendations for how to ferry the free, on-map sniper rifles to the safehouse?
For Mumbai, I tried the Bollywood bodyguard, Queenās bodyguard, Kashmirian, and Elite Thug outfits, but all showed the sniper rifle as illegal to carry; I had read a series of posts @ hitmanforum about which outfits were allowed in which destinations, but decided to check again since I had no choice.
The supplier was selling small arms, miscellaneous small items (no large melee, for example), and an unsuppressed sniper rifleā¦ so buying anything from him would only exacerbate the illegal item transportation.
So then I tried to drop the rifle from an upper floor of the chawl, but could only get it onto the railing.
I subdued the ground floor civilians, only for two other civilians to wander into the courtyard from the streets then become stationary (one was in a strange spot, standing on a motorscooter and inside a staircase), and would not be lured (they sent others from the street to investigate any sounds). So i positioned myself at the exit closest to the bus (i.e.,āMain Streetā west) as I believed that the tuk-tuk exit would be unavailable when its driver became alarmed. Sprinting from the chawl, the tuk-tuk exit became unavailable, but I exited at the bus while guards were being notified (not engaged nor hunted), confirmed when the safehouse world map showed no additional alerted territories.
Should I have brought driftwood to Mumbai (and whenever I have Mendoza) to have an attachƩ case at mission start? I am level 12 so I have access to the dock and fishing (and the boat transportation option); everything else outside is cosmetic.
Best regards.
If you buy any large weapon youāll get a briefcase. If you want a briefcase at the start of the mission you could bring the driftwood or the car battery from the garage (what I usually do ā sometimes use this battery for an accident electrocution kill).
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In terms of Mastery unlocks, I believe the Fire Poker by the fireplace will be your first opportunity to take a large item thatāll grant you a briefcase in a level.
If you have a Water/Gasoline canister in your freelancer tools, this will also get you a briefcase.
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You can easily leave with that sniper rifle by leaving through the balcony of the apartment where you can get a security disguise (sometimes thereās a crow in there to guard a safe, so take care of that beforehand), then running towards the nearby street exit. A couple of civilians might see you but youāll be gone before anyone has a chance to get to a guard. The apartment doors are locked, but if you break through the balcony entrance with a crowbar nobody will hear anything, and you can then unlock the chawl side entrance.
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Gosh, I had no idea that the canisters merit attachĆ© cases, Olipro; thanks for the advice. Since they are not illegal items to carry in an ordinary suit, they would have been a good option. Iāll have to remember for whenever I get Mendoza first time to carry out its free sniper rifle (thereās a toolbox that I suppose allows any size item so may not need to carry a container into that level).
Melusca, is the apartment you write the north one (see modified hitmaps screenshot below, with disguise icon).
I opened every apartment, but overlooked that outdoor balcony āhallwayā to the northwest stairs down. Thank you for the suggestion.
After preparing the path, I took the sniper rifle, descended to the foot of the centre courtyardās north / northeast stairs then ran northwest for the street (bus) exit. I already had several security outfit options (supplier was selling small arms, miscellaneous small items (no large melee, for example), and an unsuppressed sniper rifle, so buying anything would aggravate the carry situation).
Best regards.
Hitmaps, Freelancer alerted Mumbai. White arrow leads towards street (bus) exit and black circle is the (unavailable due to panic) tuk-tuk exit.
Yeah thatās the one. Since there are no NPCs in the street with the stairs (there are crowds but they donāt notice illegal items) you can just run through there towards the exit 
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You right
I actually intentionally failed a campaign on a brand new 18 campaign after getting number 7
I wasnāt awarded the 8th.
It has to be a showdown, Iām actually only doing it on the 18th and final mission of the campaign.
I hate doing this giving up all tools etc but I have to lose 3 more x to achieve this feat
An easy way to get this is to rush the first two missions, then purposefully leave the first showdown. You canāt lose many tools if you donāt have that many in the first place
I finally completed it
Worked on the first showdown with 4
I went in with 0 items and let a guard shoot me
Iām just glad itās over.
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